This invention relates to disposable plungers of the kind adapted for use in clearing clogged drains.
Hand operated plungers long have been used for clearing household drains which become clogged. A typical plunger of this kind has a force cup formed of rubber or rubbery material which is coupled to one end of a handle of such length as to enable the user to place the cup in sealing relation to the drain following which the handle may be used to deform the cup and displace water within the cup forcibly into and through the drain in a direction to unclog the latter. The standing water above the drain can contain materials capable of contaminating the area adjacent the drain, the force cup, and that portion of the handle which may be immersed in the water.
Following the use of a plunger in an effort to unclog a drain it is believed to be fairly common for the handle and at least the upper portion of the force cup to be rinsed. However, cleaning of the inside of the force cup is more difficult because cleaning may require removal of the force cup from the handle or manipulating the cup to expose its inner surface to a cleansing stream. Placing the cup in such position may be impeded by the lack of sufficient space to enable the cup to be turned to the proper position, particularly if the handle remains attached. In either case handling of the cup and the handle after use of the plunger is unpleasant and can be quite messy.
Conventional plungers of the household kind have a threaded socket upstanding from the upper surface of the force cup and into which the correspondingly threaded end of a handle may be inserted. If it becomes necessary to separate the force cup from the handle before the components can be cleaned, the hands of the operator can become soiled.
Because of the difficulty in some instances and the unpleasantness associated with cleaning a plunger after use, the cleaning may in some instances be less than desirable as a consequence of which the parts of the plunger may be a source of contamination between periods of use.
An object of the invention is to provide a disposable plunger which enables the force cup to be discarded after each use and which protects the handle from contamination during use.
A plunger constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention has a conventional force cup formed of flexible, resilient material having on its exterior an upstanding socket for the removable accommodation of one end of an elongate handle. Preferably, the handle and the socket have cooperable latching means for enabling and disabling rapid and easy separation of the handle from the force cup.
A pliable, waterproof, cylindrical sleeve has one end thereof sealed to the plunger socket on the outer surface thereof so that water cannot flow past the sealed end into the socket or the interior of the sleeve. The sleeve in its initial condition is coiled to form an annulus encircling the socket. Following the introduction of one end of the handle into the socket and latching the handle therein, the material forming the sleeve can be uncoiled so that the sleeve extends from the force cup in the direction of the handle and encloses or encircles at least the major portion thereof. It is contemplated that the sleeve will be of such length that, during the use of the plunger, the sleeve will extend to a level above that of the water that has collected above the clogged drain thereby ensuring that water will not enter the sleeve from its upper end.
Following use of the plunger the handle may be released from the force cup by a latch release actuator that preferably extends from the upper end of the handle downwardly through the latter so as to enable the handle to be released from the force cup without the operator""s having to touch the latter. Once the force cup has been released from the handle the force cup, together with the sleeve, may be discarded.
The force cup and the sleeve should be formed of inexpensive materials so they may be disposed of readily. The material from which the sleeve is made should be pliable, waterproof, and easily uncoiled so as to encircle and protect the handle against contamination.